Spell Stealers is a press-your-luck dice game – with stealing. Players assume the role of master thieves, sent by the various kingdoms of the land, in a race to steal a powerful magic spell protected within an enchanted temple.

In order to advance into the temple you need to obtain artifacts, represented by the set of artifact dice. Artifacts award you with points and points allow you to move through the temple. Each of the 3 artifact dice are worth different maximum values and have their own probabilities of success. You must use skill, strategy, and a little bit of luck to obtain as many artifacts as possible. Don’t get too greedy though, because failing to obtain an artifact also means losing any points you have accumulated during your turn - and every chance you take is another opportunity for your opponents to steal the points you have worked so hard to obtain.

The first player to reach the magic spell in the middle of the game board triggers the game’s final round. The player deepest into the temple at the end of that round obtains the spell for their kingdom and wins the game.

Spell Stealers was designed to take the excitement of the press-your-luck dice game genre and improve upon it in three specific ways:

Increased Strategy - This is accomplished through the use of 3 different polyhedral dice, each with their own probabilities of success. It is up to the player to decide how much risk they want to take and when they want to take it.

Everyone's Playing, Even When It's Not Their Turn - In most dice games, while the current player is taking their turn all the other players are just sitting around doing nothing. In Spell Stealers, every player is actively involved in the game at all times, even when it's not their turn. This is accomplished through a real-time stealing mechanic which allows players to try to steal the points the current player gains. Stealing, however, requires quick reflexes and comes with consequences if the steal-attempt fails.

Increased Excitement - The fact that stealing happens in real-time makes Spell Stealers exciting for all players, at all times. What does "real-time" mean, exactly? In the context of Spell Stealers, this means that there is only a small window of time in which a player can steal. When the current player obtains points, they must track them by moving the point marker. Once they are done, the points are frozen and can no longer be stolen. What this means is that the quicker the player moves the point marker, the less time all the other players have to steal their points. This keeps all the other players on the edge of their seats, trying to get their steal-attempts in on time. On top of that, only one player can successfully steal per turn so all of the players are racing against each other to get their steal-attempt in first.

More detailed information can be found in the How to Play section below.

Undead Viking Videos - Review

Undead Viking says:

It’s just a heck of a lot of fun.

If you like push-your-luck games, this is
something you’re definitely going to want to add your shelf.

I’m super glad that I have this pretty cool
looking prototype, because it means I can play it whenever I want.

Not only does it have the wonderful tension and
dice rolling that [other dice games have] but it actually manages to keep
everybody focused and involved in the game, when it isn’t their turn.

There’s like 5 rules to the entire game and
that’s it. You can teach somebody how to play it in less than 10 minutes.

Board Game Brawl - Preview

Board Game Brawl says:

It’s especially good for families as well … it’s very easy to learn, it’s very fast.

Spell Stealers does a couple of unique things that many of the [other games in the genre] simply don’t do.

If you like dice rolling games, I think that this offers more than your typical game.

GreyElephant Gaming - Preview

Spell Stealers - Gameplay Tutorial

Initiative : Tabletop - Preview

Spell
Stealers is fun, and I enjoy how fast it plays, and how quickly one can pick it
up. It has been a hit with my family, and I think it’ll be a hit with yours.

The stealing mechanic in the game is really the star for me, as it makes for an
exciting race and keeps players involved in the game even when their turn has passed.

It is
highly replayable, and with how quickly one can learn the rules, is a game that
is ideal for teaching to the masses.

My
favorite thing about this game is that the rules are flexible. This makes the
game very versatile and can make it easy for younger kids to get involved. The
game is rated for kids 8 and up, and I think that the rule adjustments make
this completely reasonable.

The
choice of dice, and being able to roll dice with purpose, was a great way to
improve your run of the mill dice game.

Initiative : Tabletop - Interview with Greg Santo

Casual Game Revolution

Instruction Manual

The Kingdoms

Players assume the role of master thieves
sent by one of the six kingdoms in a race to steal a powerful magic spell
protected within an enchanted temple.

The
Temple

The magic spell is protected within the
center of the temple. The path leading to the spell is a difficult one and the
temple itself, along with all the other players, are working to make sure it
stays out of your reach.

Turn
Overview

A player’s turn consists of the following
steps:

1. Set
your artifact points to 0 and reset your steal token

2. Secretly
select an artifact die and roll it along with the success die

Pass the artifact dice, success
die, and the artifact point marker to the player on your left

The
Artifact Dice

In order to advance into the temple, you
will need to obtain artifacts. There are 3 different types of artifacts,
represented by the set of artifact dice. The numbers on the artifact dice
indicate the number of spaces they allow you to advance into the temple. The
colors of the numbers indicate your chances of successfully obtaining that value
(see The Success Die).

The 4-sided die has only green numbers

The 8-sided die has both green and yellow
numbers

The 12-sided die has green, yellow, and red
numbers

The
Choice Is Up to You

Part of what makes Spell Stealers so unique
is that it is up to you to decide how big of a risk you want to take, and when
you want to take it. Whenever it comes time for you to roll the artifact dice,
you get to decide which of the three dice you want to roll. Do you want to take
a big risk and roll the 12-sided die in hopes of scoring big points? Or do you
want to play it safe and roll the 4-sided die? Sure, the 4-sided die might not
be worth as much, but your chances of success are much higher.

This decision of choosing an artifact die
is made in secret, so no one knows which die you are going to roll until it is
out of your hands and onto the table (see the Stealing Is the Name of the
Game section for more information about this).

The
Success Die

Once you decide which of the 3 artifact
dice you want to roll, you will roll it along with this custom success die.

If the color of the number on the artifact
die matches the color of the symbol on the success die, you successfully obtain
the artifact and are awarded the points indicated on the artifact die. If the
colors do not match, your turn is over and any points you have accumulated
during your turn are lost.

The success die contains the following
symbols:

6 of the 8 faces on the success die will
match a green number

4 of the 8 faces on the success die will
match a yellow number

2 of the 8 faces on the success die will
match a red number

Artifact
Points

If the color of the number on the artifact
die matches the color of the symbol on the success die, you successfully obtain
the artifact and are awarded the number of points indicated on the artifact
die. The artifact points you accumulate during your turn are tracked using the
point tracker (found along the perimeter of the game board) closest to you.

Once you have updated your artifact points,
you have a decision to make: do you want to press your luck in an effort to
obtain more points or do you want to end your turn and score the points you’ve
already accumulated? Keep in mind that the moment you fail to obtain an
artifact you will lose all the points you have accumulated during your turn.

If you decide to press your luck, simply
select another of the 3 artifact dice and start the process over again. If you
decide to end your turn, you will move your player pawn deeper into the temple
by the number of artifact points you have accumulated during your turn. Play
then passes to the player on your left.

Stealing
Is the Name of the Game

Stealing is what really sets Spell Stealers
apart from all the other games out there. Spell Stealers was designed so that
every player is actively involved in the game at all times, even when it’s not
their turn. This is accomplished through a gameplay mechanic which allows
players to steal artifact points from the current player in real-time. What
does that mean, exactly? As you saw in the Artifact Points section
above, when a player successfully obtains an artifact they must increase their
artifact points by moving the artifact point marker along the point tracker
closest to them. Once they are done moving the point marker, the points are
frozen and can no longer be stolen. What this means is that the quicker the
current player moves the point marker, the less time all the other players have
to steal their points.

Each player has a set of 3 stealing dice
whose shapes correlate to the shapes of the 3 artifact dice. When the current
player successfully obtains an artifact (meaning the colors matched on the dice
they rolled), any player attempting to steal must roll the stealing die that
matches the shape of the artifact die the current player just obtained. If the
number on the stealing die is greater than or equal to the number on the
artifact die, the points are successfully stolen. Otherwise, the steal-attempt
fails.

There are a few details that make stealing
a little crazy and a whole lot of fun! Here’s the information your brain has to
process every time the current player rolls the dice:

You don’t know which of the 3 artifact
dice the current player is going to roll until they are out on the
table (since they are chosen in secret). So the first thing you have to
do is figure out which artifact die was rolled.

Next, you have to determine if the artifact
was successfully obtained by the current player. Since you can only steal
artifacts that were successfully obtained, you have to first determine if the
color of the number matches the color of the symbol on the dice that were
rolled.

Then, you have to determine if the artifact
is worth stealing. You will always be able to successfully steal a 1, since any
number you roll will be greater than or equal to 1. But if the current player
rolls a 6 using the 8-sided die, you have to determine if you are willing to
take the risk knowing that your chances of obtaining a 6 or higher are only 3
out of 8.

Once you decide to steal, you have to grab
the correct stealing die and roll it as quickly as possible. You have to
make sure you roll your stealing die before the current player is done
updating their artifact points. On top of that, you have to roll it before any
of the other players do - because steals are considered in the order they are
attempted and once a player successfully steals, all other steal-attempts will
automatically fail.

If you manage to successfully steal, you
will be awarded the points the current player would have obtained. You will
immediately move your player pawn deeper into the temple by the number of
points you stole. If, however, your steal-attempt fails you will immediately
move your player pawn backward, toward the entrance of the temple, by the
number indicated on your stealing die. If you consider the example of the
current player rolling a 6 using the 8-sided artifact die. If you attempt to
steal and roll a 5 using your 8-sided stealing die, your steal attempt fails
and you will be forced to move your player pawn backward 5 spaces.

Whenever you attempt to steal, whether or
not you succeed, you must flip your steal token over to the spent side
indicating that you can no longer steal until your next turn passes.

Winning

The round in which any player’s pawn
reaches, or exceeds, the magic spell (space 35 on the game board) is considered
the final round. The final round is played until its completion and the player
deepest into the temple at the end claims the spell for their kingdom and wins
the game.

United States

FREE SHIPPING anywhere in the United States for all pledge levels.

International

I am not accepting payments for international shipping costs via Kickstarter. Instead,I will be accepting payments for international shipping via PayPal after the campaign ends.

How to Make an International Pledge

1. Select any of the pledge levels on the Kickstarter page, and pledge whatever amount you’d like. Do not include any additional money for international shipping when you pledge. When the campaign ends I will not be able to refund any money to anybody who accidentally includes international shipping in their pledge amount.

2. After you pledge, send me a private message letting me know that you would like your reward shipped internationally.

3. When the campaign ends, I will send you a PayPal invoice for an additional $25 USD (for international shipping costs).

4. It is your responsibility to pay this additional cost for international shipping. If you do not, I will happily ship the reward anywhere in the United States, at your request, for free.

What about Additional Copies of the Game?

You may add an additional $30 USD to your Kickstarter pledge amount for any applicable pledge level to receive an additional copy of the game. LIMIT 1 PER INTERNATIONAL BACKER. However, the shipping prices I received do not provide any significant break for additional shipping weight. Therefore, you will receive a PayPal invoice for a total of $55 USD ($25 for the initial copy of the game, and $30 for the second copy).
The shipping cost for the second copy is increased by $5 to compensate for the $5 discount on the cost of the second copy of the game ($30 as opposed to the standard $35).

Why PayPal?

There are many reasons I decided to accept payment for international shipping outside of Kickstarter. You can read all about them here.

Spell Stealers has been in development for about a year and a half. Over the course of that time, Spell Stealers has been play-tested by over 100 different people and has been very well received. Spell Stealers has undergone many changes over the course of its development and I will be posting a timeline summarizing them later in the campaign. Thanks to the artistic talent of Andrew Dang and Ian O’Toole, the world of Spell Stealers has really come to life!

That being said, it is important to note that all the artwork and images you see on this page are still not 100% final. All of the artwork for the game is very near to final, but we still have to do some color balancing and shading adjustments to some items - so some things may change a bit in the final product.

This Kickstarter campaign will make my dream of professionally manufacturing Spell Stealers and sharing it with the world a reality. Thank you for your support!

Risks and challenges

As with many other board game projects on Kickstarter, the biggest challenge I will face in the production of Spell Stealers is coordinating manufacturing and shipping with an overseas manufacturer. I am partnering with a well-respected manufacturing company with an excellent track record: Panda Game Manufacturing. Panda GM has worked on many large-scale products (chances are you already own something manufactured by them) and should be able to meet all of the project's needs in a timely manner. I've done extensive research and planning to ensure that everything will be in print-ready format the moment this campaign ends so that manufacturing can start immediately. This, in turn, will ensure that Spell Stealers is in the hands of backers as soon as possible.

The next biggest challenge I will face is fulfilling all of the rewards from this campaign. I have partnered with Ship Naked, a Game Salute company, who has already executed fulfillment for countless board game projects on Kickstarter. They have the experience, knowledge, and competitive rates to ensure that everything will be shipped on time and as cost-effective as possible.

That being said, unforeseen issues can always arise regardless of how much planning has gone into a project. I will make sure that any issues that come up will be immediately expressed to backers. I want to make sure that backers feel they are part of the process from the moment they back all the way through to the end.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

SPELL STEALER (EARLY BIRD) - Receive one copy of Spell Stealers, including all stretch goals. Your name will be added as a "Spell Stealer" to the Credits section of the game's instruction manual. Add $30 for each additional copy of the game (maximum of 2). FREE SHIPPING in the US. International Backers, see "Shipping" section at the bottom of the page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $30 or more
About $30

SPELL STEALER (EARLY BIRD) - Receive one copy of Spell Stealers, including all stretch goals. Your name will be added as a "Spell Stealer" to the Credits section of the game's instruction manual. Add $30 for each additional copy of the game (maximum of 2). FREE SHIPPING in the US. International Backers, see "Shipping" section at the bottom of the page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $35 or more
About $35

SPELL STEALER - Receive one copy of Spell Stealers, including all stretch goals. Your name will be added as a "Spell Stealer" to the Credits section of the game's instruction manual. Add $30 for each additional copy of the game (maximum of 2). FREE SHIPPING in the US. International Backers, see "Shipping" section at the bottom of the page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $55 or more
About $55

ELITE THIEF - Receive one copy of Spell Stealers, including all stretch goals. The game will include an extra instruction manual signed by Greg Santo, the game's creator. Your name will be added as an "Elite Thief" to the Credits section of the game's instruction manual. Add $30 for each additional copy of the game (maximum of 2). FREE SHIPPING in the US. International Backers, see "Shipping" section at the bottom of the page.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

ROYAL FAMILY - Our artist will draw your likeness as the King or Queen of one of the 6 kingdoms (your choice, subject to availability) for use in the game's instruction manual. Add $50 USD for each additional family member you would like included in the portrait (maximum of 4 additional family members). Your likeness will appear in every copy of the game's instruction manual. Receive one copy of Spell Stealers, including all stretch goals. Your name, or your family's name, will be added as a "Royal Sponsor" to the Credits section of the game's instruction manual. Add $30 for each additional copy of the game (maximum of 2). FREE SHIPPING in the US. International Backers, see "Shipping" section at the bottom of the page.